In February 2017, police said Grizzly began limping and experienced regular pain in one of his hind legs. Grizzly was then taken to a veterinarian where they performed several tests and determined he had a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer called Chondrosarcoma.

The diagnosis showed a cancerous tumor located in an inoperable area in his hip joint and the tumor rapidly progressed, police said.

“It was determined that the best course of action would be to retire K-9 “Grizzly” from service and return him to the care of Frank Reda of Superior K9 Services in an effort to make him as comfortable as possible,” said Darien Police Department. “This has been a very difficult situation for everyone involved.”

Police said Grizzly and Officer Silva rode their last tour of duty together on April 11, 2017.